By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Pelham recorded a significantly lower voter turnout during its Oct. 9 runoff election than it did during its Aug. 28 general election.

During the runoff, 1,062 of the city’s 13,517 registered voters cast their ballots at the Pelham Civic Complex, said Pelham City Clerk Tom Seale.

The about 8 percent voter turnout was down from the 23 percent turnout Pelham recorded during the August general election, and was down from the 22.8 percent turnout the city saw in 2008.

Pelham currently has a population of about 21,352, according to 2010 census numbers.

During the Oct. 9 runoff, Maurice Mercer gathered 76.3 percent of the vote and defeated challenger Jim Phillips, who collected 23.7 percent, for the Place 4 City Council seat.

The two candidates entered the runoff after neither was able to gather a majority of votes in the four-candidate general election race.

Mercer, fellow incoming City Council members Karyl Rice, Rick Hayes, Beth McMillan, Ron Scott and incoming Mayor Gary Waters are scheduled to be sworn in during a Nov. 5 council meeting at Pelham City Hall. The meeting will start at 7 p.m.

Pelham’s current City Council will canvass the runoff election results and officially declare Mercer the winner during its Oct. 15 meeting.